Microsoft to Take Office to the Web (Now With Editing!)

Finally! The next version of Office will include the ability to edit and share documents on the Web.

Finally, Microsoft Office is heading to the Web.

Microsoft announced that a Web-based version of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote will be available to individuals through Office Live, a service that will be linked to the next version of Office. For the first time, users will be able to perform some editing functions within the Web versions, a capability that had been notably lacking in earlier versions.

Specifically, users will be able to "access, create, edit, share and collaborate" on documents, Microsoft said.

Although Microsoft began linking its operating systems to the Web with Windows XP, its Web support for Office has been somewhat tentative. Microsoft has provided a Microsoft Office Live Workspace, which has provided an entry point for the convergence of Office and the Web, but without editing capabilities.

Meanwhile, a number of Web-based productivity applications, including Google and Zoho, have sprung up to fill the hole left by the absence of Office Live.

Users will be able to sign up for an Office Live beta at some point in the future at the Office Live Workspace site, Microsoft said Tuesday. A technical preview of the software/service will be released later this year.

A nice touch: Microsoft said that Office Live will be compatible with Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari.